Opportunities.
Pen to Print is Barking & Dagenham’s Arts Council England (ACE), Library National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).
Established by the library service the Pen to Print programme has been working in Barking & Dagenham since 2014 funded by Barking & Dagenham and Arts Council England. Becoming an ACE National Portfolio Organisation in 2018, we have just commenced our second period of NPO funding 2023 to 2026. As part of the library offer in our Community Hubs, Pen to Print is an established network of free writer support.
Offering advice guidance and collaboration with authors of all backgrounds and experience our priorities are writers from communities currently underrepresented in the wider publishing industry. Having established a regional network of writers we now reach audiences both nationally and internationally. To support this ambition we offer a multi-faceted free programme of activities, events, classes and workshops.
We welcome everyone to connect and collaborate with Pen to Print, Barking & Dagenham and our partners.
Here are some opportunities to do so:
Opportunities with Pen to Print
Pen to Print encourages everyone in developing a career in the publishing industry and offers you the chance to learn how with us. As part of that we often give you the opportunity to develop your creative practice and work with Pen to Print by delivering sessions, whether you are an expert and worked in the industry for years, or just starting out on your career and looking for a chance to hone your skills. We welcome any UK based creatives to work with us but particularly encourage those who are Black, Asian or from other ethnic backgrounds and / or lower socio-economic backgrounds, LGBTQ+, disabled or neurodivergent.
If you have an idea for an event, class or workshop we would love to hear from you please download a Proposal Form and email it to us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk If you have any questions please contact us.
Opportunities with Our Partners
Disabled Poets Prize 2025
The Disabled Poets Prize looks to find the best work created by UK-based deaf and disabled poets, many of whom face significant barriers to developing their careers. The judges for this year’s prize are Jamie Hale, Polly Atkin and Khairani Barokka and the prize accepts entries for Best Single Poem and Best Unpublished Pamphlet categories.
Selected writers will receive a cash prize, along with career development opportunities courtesy of competition partners Spread the Word, CRIPtic Arts, The Literary Consultancy and Arvon Foundation. The winner of the Best Unpublished Pamphlet prize will also be offered the opportunity to have their book published by Verve Poetry Press.
The prize is free to enter (with a £7 recommended donation towards the prize’s costs)
Submissions are open from Monday 9 September to Monday 4 November. Information in also available in BSL and audio formats
Spread the Word – Disabled Writer Commissions
Applications are now open for London-based writers to apply for Spread the Word’s Deaf and Disabled Writer Commissions, as part of their 30th Anniversary commissioning programme. This opportunity is open to London-based deaf and disabled writers aged 18+ who are writing poetry, fiction, narrative non-fiction or writing for performance.
Selected writers will receive a commission fee, two sessions with a mentor, one-to-one development and production support from Spread the Word and publication of their work in the Deptford Literature Festival magazine. They can also expect to showcase their work to an audience at Deptford Literature Festival. The Disabled Writers Commissions will be judged by Ayesha Chouglay and Joe Rizzo Naudi.
The deadline for applications is: 1pm on Monday 7th October 2024.
Information is also available in BSL and audio formats.
Spread the Word – Emerging Writer Commissions
Applications are now open for London-based writers to apply for Spread the Word’s Emerging Writer Commissions, as part of their 30th Anniversary commissioning programme. This opportunity is open to emerging writers aged 18+ from underrepresented backgrounds who are writing poetry, fiction, or narrative non-fiction. One of the three commissions will be awarded to a writer living in the borough of Lewisham.
Selected writers will receive a commission fee, three sessions with a mentor, one-to-one development support from Spread the Word and publication of their work in the Deptford Literature Festival magazine. They can also expect to showcase their work to an audience at Deptford Literature Festival. The Emerging Writer Commissions 2025 will be judged by Joelle Taylor and Olumide Popoola.
The deadline for applications is: 1pm on Monday 7 October 2024.
Information is also available in BSL and audio formats.